Tomorrow, politicians, Coast Guard admirals, and Arctic experts will descend upon Unalaska for a meeting of the Northern Waters Task Force.

The Task Force was created by the state legislature, and its goal is to develop Arctic policy that works for Alaska. To do that, they’re hosting meetings in places like Nome, Barrow, and Kotzebue, and talking to residents about how changing Arctic conditions affect them.

State Legislator Bryce Edgmon, who represents Unalaska, will be chairing the meeting. He says that Unalaska will play a major role in whatever policy they recommend.

Shell Oil has already made Unalaska its staging ground for any exploratory drilling they plan to do in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, and Arctic research voyages are regularly deployed from here.

But most of tomorrow’s presentations won’t be explicitly focused on energy or perennial concerns like how climate change is affecting vulnerable mammals. Instead, the biggest issues tomorrow will be shipping and commercial fishing.

With sea ice disappearing at rapid rates, more vessels are expected to pass through Arctic waters, and many of the talks tomorrow will be focused on how to manage that increase in volume. Mayor Shirley Marquardt will be talking about emergency response in area waters, and local business owner Dan Magone will be talking about Arctic salvage operation. Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo will also be providing information on the Coast Guard’s Arctic operations, while Rear Admiral Mark Kenny will brief attendees on the Law of the Seas treaty and what it means for Alaska.

In the afternoon, attention will turn to fish. Senator Lisa Murkowski will open with a speech on Alaska’s role in the Arctic, which will be followed by presentations on the Bering Sea’s fisheries and the development of an Arctic fishery management plan. Those will be delivered by local resource analyst Frank Kelty and Steve MacLean, an analyst for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The presentations will wrap up with an hour and a half allotted for public comment.

Edgmon adds that because sea ice is on track to reach a record low this year, coming up with a framework for handling Arctic issues is becoming even more critical. The Northern Waters Task Force recommendations on Arctic issues are due just a few months from now in January.

The conference will take place at the Grand Aleutian Hotel, and it starts at 8am.